Beick peess



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. LUPHER.

BRICK PRESS.

No. 323,348. Patented July 28, 1885.

WITNESSES g VENTOR 4 f I BY M ATTORNEYS.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

H. LUPHER.

BRIGKPRESS.

I 1%3Patented July 28, 1885.

w/mw

gENTOR 2 ATTURNEYS.

WITNESSES Q* 24% UNITED STATES PATENT FFlCE.

HIRAM LUPHER, OF TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE.

BRICK-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,348, dated July 28,1885.

Application filed October 22, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HIRAM LUPI-IER, ofTullahoma, in the county of Coii'ee and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and Improved Brick-Press, of which the i'ollowingis a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention consists of a simple duplex contrivance of molds, clay-feeders, pressingrams, and dischargers, to be operated by a pendulum-lever so as to alternately press the bricks in one mold while discharging them from the other, a brick being pressed and another being discharged at each swing of the lever to which the power is applied; and it also consists of improved apparatus for feeding the clay, all as hereinafter fully described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my llllproved brick-press, taken on the line of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ofi'the line 3/ y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 2c of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line a? w of Fig. 3, showing the upper part of the press inverted.

The mold-boxes a are made in the table b, extending through the table, with plungers 0 extending up into them from below, for forming the bottoms of the molds and for ejecting the pressed bricks, said plungers being respectively fitted on the ends of the rocklever d, which is fitted on the fulcrumpivot 6, so that when one plunger is depressed by the pressing of the brick on it the other plunger is forced up to eject the brick previously pressed on it, and the one on which the pressing is taking place comes to rest on the bedplate f, for its support, while being subject to the pressure of forming the bricks. For each mold there is aram, g, suspended from arockerbeam, h, carried by the shaft i on the top of the frame, and having the pendulum-lever j suspended from it, for connection with the steam-engine or other motive power, to be vibrated for working the rams by alternately raising and depressing them. At the opposite sides of and a little above the molds there is a clay-box, k, for each mold, into which the clay is to be supplied by hand or otherineans,

with a feeder or slide, 1, under each box, having a feed-pocket, m, adapted to receive a charge of clay for one brick, and which is made to slide forward between ways Z at the proper time, over the mold, and rest thereat while the ram descends through the pocket and presses the charge in the mold on the plunger 0, forming the brick n. The feeders receive their charges through the openings 0 in the bottom of the boxes under which the feed pockets rest when the feed-slides are shifted back for receiving new charges after the bricks have been formed.

To work the feed-slides 1, they are respectivel y connected by arms a and rockers q to the levers p, which rockers are pivoted on the bed-plate f, and the levers 12 extend upward through the curved guide-bar 8, above which they project sufficiently to be pushed a certain distance forward and backward by the push-studs t, running along the guide u, in which they are made to work by the rods 11, pivoted to the working-lever j at w. The levers p are adjusted to traverse the guide s a suitable distance for throwing the feedslides the desired length of their range, and to be stopped when slightly projecting above the guard s, suitably to allow the push-studs to spring over to the other side and catch thereon on the return-strokefor making the reverse movements of saidlevers and feed-slides. Thelevers are made to spring a little for the escape of the push-studs over them, and stops are provided to limit the range of the feed-slides, as required, and hold the levers at the ends of their ran go for causingthe pusl1-studs to spring overthemforreversingtheirmovements. Said stops may consist of the ends of slots Z1, in which arms a work. The push-studs thus pass beyond the feeder-levers and allow the feeders to rest'while the rams are working through them to press the bricks. After the rams rise out of the molds and feed-pockets, the push-studs return against the feeder-levers and push the feeders back to receive new charges.

The rams g are suspended from the rockbeam h by ball-joints :r, and they are connected to guides 31, near the lower end, by the angleplates z. Theplungers c are also connected to the guide-rods y by staples 2. When the feeders move forward with their charges of clay, they push the bricks raised up by the plungers away from the molds onto the table 1), between the molds, from which they are removed by the attendant.

It will be seen that a very efficient machine is thus contrived with but few and very simple parts, which are calculated to work without much friction and wear.

While I prefer the arrangement of apparatus which I have represented for feeding the clay to the molds, I do not mean to be limited to it, because it is obvious that oher means of feeding the clay may be used in combination with the novel contrivance of molds, rams, and plungers that constitute the essential part of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of the feed-slides having pockets and the alternately-acting plungers and rams, said slides beingoperated by levers connected by arms to rockers and acted upon by arms connected to the pendulum or working-lever, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

2. The combination of the feed-slides having pockets, the boxes having passages, and the alternatelyacting plungers and rams, said slides being operated by levers connected by arms to rockers and acted upon by arms connected to the pendulum-lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the rods 21, pivoted to the pendulum-lever, push-studs t, attached to said rods, guide u, for the push-studs,feedlevers 1), guide 8, for the feed-levers, and feeders Z, with the duplex molds a, rams g, and ejectors c, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the pendulumlever j, rockebeam h, duplex rams g, molds a, and plungers c, and the rock-lever d, substantially as described.

7 5. The combination of the pendulum-lever j, rock-beam h, duplex rams g, molds a, plungers c, connecting-rods v, push-studs t, feedlevers p, feed-slides l, and feed-boxes k, said levers p and push-studs having guides s and u, substantially as described.

I'llRAM LUPHER.

WVit messes:

A. P. BAX'IER, J. W. LUPHER. 

